In the second day of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, local baseball players began to be selected by big league clubs. Below is a look at who they were, where they were picked, and what team made the call.

– 2010 MLB Draft Top-10 Local Picks –

– LHP Justin Nicolino (University) selected No. 80 overall by Toronto in 2nd round. WESH Video

– RHP A.J. Cole (Oviedo) selected No. 116 overall by Washington in 4th round.

– CF Mason Williams (West Orange) selected No. 145 overall by NY Yankees in 4th round.

– LHP Alex Burgos (Osceola/State College of Florida) selected No. 163 overall by Detroit in 5th round.

– LHP John Gast (Lake Brantley/Florida State) selected No. 199 overall by St. Louis in 6th round.

– RF Jose Dore (The First Academy) selected No. 244 overall by San Diego in 8th round.

– SS Mike Freeman (Edgewater/Clemson) selected No. 331 overall by Arizona in 11th round.

– RHP Cody Allen (Boone/UCF/St. Petersburg JC) selected No. 480 overall by Cleveland in 16th round.

– RHP Owen Dew (UCF) selected No. 630 overall by Cleveland in 21st round.

– C Shane Brown (Winter Park/UCF) selected No. 715 overall by NY Yankees in 23rd round.

– More Local MLB Draft Picks –

LF Chris Duffy (Cypress Creek/UCF) at No. 801 overall to Philadelphia (26th round); CF Jay Gonzalez (Freedom) No. 833 overall to Boston (27th round); RHP Tim Griffin (Rollins College) No. 852 overall to Seattle (28th round); LHP Ronald Schreurs (Freedom) No. 1,296 overall to Toronto (43rd round); LHP Jimmy Hodgskin (Bishop Moore) No. 1,311 overall to Philadelphia (43rd round); OF Tyler Marincov (Timber Creek) No. 1,453 overall to Detroit (48th round).

– Draft Notes –

– The UCF Knights have had nine different players selected in the MLB Draft over the last three years, including Brown, who has now been drafted twice by the Yankees. Last season he was picked in the 47th round. In all, UCF has had its baseball players drafted by MLB organizations 73 times since 1979. Dew was taken in the 33rd round in 2009 by the Los Angeles Angels. Duffy, who was selected in the 9th round out of high school, completed his four-year career as a finalist for the 2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award as one of the top amateur players in the nation.

– The Florida Collegiate Summer League had the highest number of current or former baseball players drafted over the three-day MLB selection process as 25 FCSL players were taken, including five in the first eight rounds. A complete list of draftees is available at Florida League.

– NCAA Track and Field Championships –

UCF sent a school-record 11 student-athletes to the NCAA East Championships and came away with three who qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, beginning Wednesday in Eugene, Ore.

Sophomores Jackie Coward and Sheila Paul, and freshman Sonnisha Williams will be competing at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon from June 9-12.

Jackie Coward

Paul is scheduled to run in one of three semifinal heats of the 100-meter dash on Wednesday at 6 p.m., with the finals scheduled for Friday at 5:32 p.m. Coward competes in one of three semifinal heats of the 100-meter hurdles on Thursday night at 5:55 p.m., with the finals scheduled for Saturday at 11:09 a.m. Williams competes in the trials and finals of the long jump on Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m.

At stake are All-American accolades (finishing among the top-eight in each respective event), which would be the first for UCF in outdoor competition. The Knights have previously had four NCAA Indoor All-Americans, including Coward in 2009.

Coward is ranked seventh nationally in the 100mH with a season-best time of 12.99. She is seeded No. 11 after clocking in at 13.11 at the east championships. Paul recently ran a personal-best 11.36 and is ranked No. 16 overall entering the 100m. She is seeded No. 22 based on her time of 11.54 in the east championship finals. Williams is ranked No. 20 nationally in the long jump, No. 2 among freshman, after measuring in at a school-record jump of 20-6.25/6.25m at the east championships. She is seeded No. 18 at the event.

– Former Goalkeeper Makes Pro Soccer Debut –

Last month former UCF men’s soccer goalkeeper Sean Johnson made his professional debut for Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire, playing all 90 minutes in a 1-0 exhibition loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the opener of the Chicago Sister Cities International Cup at Toyota Park in Chicago.

Johnson, the 51st pick of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, made three saves in the game as Clement Chantome got a shot by him in the 14th minute. A two-year starter for UCF in 2007 and 2008, Johnson became the first UCF player to be drafted by an MLS team.

“I take full responsibility,” said Johnson of the goal against. “I was in good position, the ball hit a little divot and I should’ve gotten a little bit of a better push forward and parried it away to be safe. At the end of the day, my defense knows I’ll take the goal on me.”

In 2009, Johnson passed on playing for UCF after he was selected to play with the United States U-20 National Team. He participated in the U-20 World Cup this past fall.

Aside from the outcome of his professional debut, he was just happy to get some playing time.

“It was a good opportunity,” Johnson said. “I think you learn from playing and this being my first game I think I did alright.”

– Baseball Team Nabs Five C-USA Honors –

Among the five Conference USA award winners on UCF’s baseball team, Olympia alum Chris Taladay came away with perhaps the top honor.

The third baseman was recently voted as the 2010 C-USA Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Knight to claim a C-USA individual postseason award since the Knights joined the league in 2006.

Other award winners included senior outfielders Chris Duffy and Shane Brown, who were both first team selections. Taladay joined shortstop Darnell Sweeney and relief pitcher Joe Rogers on the All-Freshman Team. All three were also named Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball.

Taladay is UCF’s first conference freshman of the year since Dee Brown was tabbed the top frosh in 2002, when the Knights competed in the Atlantic Sun.

In 2010, he ranked in the top-five of all C-USA freshmen in batting average (.352), at-bats (210), runs (49), hits (74), doubles (19), homers (eight), RBI (47), total bases (117), slugging (.557), OPS (.960) and HBP (10) while leading all freshmen in doubles, total bases, slugging and OPS.

Duffy finished with a .447 batting average, the highest in both UCF and C-USA history. He also led the league with an .850 slugging percentage, 81 RBI and 175 total bases. His 21 home runs set a UCF single-season record and his 43 all-time homers, the last of which came on a grand slam in his last at-bat, ties Bobby Kiser for the school’s career mark.

Brown ranked third in the league with a .428 batting average, which also was the fourth highest in C-USA history. His .541 on-base percentage and 22 HBP topped the conference. He sits in the top-10 in slugging (.692), runs (58), hits (89), doubles (25), total bases (144) and walks (34). In four seasons, Brown hit .363 in his career, which stands as the sixth-best batting average in UCF history.

Duffy and Brown were also named Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball All-Americans as Duffy was awarded a spot on the second team and Brown got a spot on the third team.

The last time a Knight was selected as an All-American was in 2004 when pitchers Matt Fox and Kyle Bono received the accolade. UCF has now had nine All-Americans since it turned Division I in 1985. That list includes Tim Barker in 1985, Chad Mottola in 1992 and Justin Pope, Jason Arnold and Jeremy Kurella in 2001.

Sweeney was the only Knight to start all 55 games this season, finishing 2010 with a .358 batting average, the highest of all freshmen in the league. The shortstop also collected 51 runs, 38 RBI, 14 doubles, a triple, two triples and a UCF-high 17 stolen bases.

Rogers posted a 4-2 record with a 4.50 ERA, appearing in 23 games with three starts. He converted eight save opportunities, which are tied for the third-most saves ever by a Knight. His 43 strikeouts ranked third on the UCF pitching staff.

UCF closed out its season with a 33-22 overall record and a 10-14 mark in Conference USA, which goes down as the most C-USA victories by a UCF squad since joining the league in 2006.

– Softball Team Comes Away With Six C-USA Picks –

A program-record six student-athletes earned All-Conference USA softball honors, including three selections to the league’s first team.

Tiffany Lane, Natalie Land and Ashleigh Cole were the first team picks while Hillary Barrow and Abby McClain made the second team. Marissa Menendez was named to the all-freshman team.

Lane earned a spot on the first team for the second-consecutive year after setting the C-USA record with 21 career triples. She ranked sixth nationally in 2010 with six triples and led the Knights during the regular season in triples, total bases (68) and slugging percentage (.479), while ranking second in batting average (.310), runs scored (25), hits (44), doubles (9), RBI (18) and stolen bases (12).

Land, who was named to the all-freshman team in 2009, put together an impressive sophomore season. The second baseman paced the Knights in batting average (.317), runs scored (29), hits (46), sacrifice hits (15) and stolen bases (17), and sits among the top-10 in C-USA in five different categories.

Cole put together the best season of her career in the circle in 2010. She ended the regular season with a 21-12 record, making her only the fourth pitcher in program history to tally 20 or more wins in a season. She also had a 1.53 ERA, five shutouts and 149 strikeouts in 224.2 innings pitched. Cole ranks in the league’s top-10 in eight different pitching categories.

Cole also earned a spot on the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Mideast Region Second Team, becoming the seventh player in program history to be named to an all-region squad.

McClain repeated as a second team selection after being voted to the squad last season. The junior started all 53 games behind the plate for UCF, catching 14 runners stealing and picking off one on the base paths. Offensively, she led UCF in on-base percentage (.399), walks (22) and times hit by pitch (6), while ranking third in batting average (.291), runs (25), hits (43), doubles (7) and home runs (2).

Barrow, one of the Knights’ five seniors, averaged a team-best 0.69 RBI per game as UCF’s No. 3 batter. The third baseman posted a team-high 36 RBI while also leading the squad in runs scored (29), doubles (10), home runs (5) and assists (122). Barrow hit her first career grand slam against Cornell at the UCF Softball Complex, while pacing UCF with eight multiple-RBI games.

Menendez batted .252 on the season with 38 hits, four doubles, three triples and one home run. She was the only freshman on the Knights’ roster to start all 53 regular-season contests, including 24 at first base, 15 as the designated player and 14 at second base. The rookie posted three-game winning RBI, including game-winners against both No. 16 Tennessee and No. 9 Alabama.

The Knights finished the regular season with a 33-20 overall record and a 16-7 league mark.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

Weech

UCF senior baseball players Shane Brown, Chris Duffy, Matt Goodyear, Matt Manning and Cory Weech will make their final home appearances as Knights on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against Florida Atlantic (31-19) at Jay Bergman Field.

Shane Brown (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

Following that outing – with a 31-21 overall record and currently sitting at No. 9 in the Conference USA standings at 8-13 – UCF will be looking to sneak into the conference tournament’s field of six as they go on the road for a three-game series against Tulane later this week (Thursday-Saturday).

The Knights are currently looking up at Tulane (9-12 in C-USA), Houston (9-12), UAB (10-11) and East Carolina (10-11) in the conference standings.

UCF last won 31 games in a season in 2008 and are on pace to finish with its best overall record since going 42-18 in 2005 as members of the Atlantic Sun.

Not bad for the only program in the country (as of May 17) to have five true freshmen make at least 35 starts in 2010.

On Sunday, Duffy tied the UCF single-season record for home runs in a season when he connected on his 18th of the year against East Carolina. That matches the 18 long-balls hit by Dee Brown in 2005 and puts him in a tie at No. 3 all-time with Vince Zawaski (1985-88) with 40 career homers to his credit.

Bobby Kiser hit 43 home runs from 1987-90 while Dustin Brisson hit 41 from 1997-00.

Chris Duffy (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

Seems to be just another day at the office for Duffy.

“That was awesome. I try not to think about it, but I’m hoping to get one or two more. Every time I go up to the plate I just try to hit it hard,” said Duffy. “I talk to (Dee Brown) all of the time, and sometimes he’s up in the cages. He was a draft pick and played in the minors so we talk about that a lot. But we’ve never really talked about hitting home runs. He did tell me he hit 18 once but I never really thought about it.”

Those dingers from Duffy this year have also helped the Knights set a new single-season home run record as a team with 70 in all. Last season the Knights went yard 68 times.

– Chris Duffy –

The Cypress Creek High School alum leads the team with a .436 batting average on 85 hits and a .805 slugging percentage with 71 RBI, 50 runs scored, 18 home runs and 16 doubles in 52 games played. Duffy ranks first in C-USA in batting average, on-base percentage, and RBI, and is second in slugging percentage, hits and total bases.

– Shane Brown –

The Winter Park High school alum has been nearly just as impressive with a .423 batting average on 82 hits and a .660 slugging percentage with 49 runs scored, 42 RBI, 19 doubles and nine home runs in 49 games. The senior owns a lifetime batting average of .360 with 24 home runs and 57 doubles. Brown leads C-USA in hit-by-pitches, is second in on-base percentage and doubles, and third in batting average.

Manning

– Matt Manning –

The Melbourne native out of Brevard Community College made 20 appearances on the mound and went 1-0, struck out 19 over 23 innings of work, and gave up 24 hits and 15 earned runs this season while completing four save opportunities.

Goodyear

– Matt Goodyear –

The Melbourne native made two starts on the mound and four appearances in all this year. Through 8.1 innings of work he allowed 11 hits and eight earned runs while striking out four batters. Considered a vocal leader, in four seasons he appeared in 23 games.

– Cory Weech –

The Southwest Ranches native out of Broward College made eight appearances on the mound and struck out six over 5.2 innings while giving up five hits and four earned runs this year. As a junior in 2009 he led the team with 27 pitching appearances, which ranks fifth most in a single season in program history.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

A total of eight former UCF baseball players are enjoying life in the professional ranks this April. The Knights are represented at the Major League level by Drew Butera, while four players are competing at the Double-A level or higher.

Serving as the backup catcher to Joe Mauer for the Minnesota Twins, Butera is making his MLB debut in 2010 and recorded his first hit April 22 against Cleveland.

In Triple-A, the city of Rochester, N.Y. is embracing two UCF hurlers who are controlling opposing hitters this season. The Red Wings (Minnesota Twins) have witnessed Matt Fox come on for eight relief appearances and post a 1-0 record with a 2.13 ERA, striking out nine in 12.2 innings. Meanwhile, Mike Maroth has started three games and although he has a 0-2 record thanks to unearned runs, the lefty has a 1.64 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 11.0 innings of work.

Competing at the Double-A level, outfielder Clay Timpner is hitting .440 with a 1.065 OPS for the Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants), and hurler Tim Bascom is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in three starts for the Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles).

And three Knights who ended their collegiate careers after the 2008 campaign are blossoming in the Class A Advanced ranks. Tyson Auer holds a .293 average with nine steals for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Los Angeles Angels), Robert Lara is hitting .263 with four runs and three RBI for the Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres) and Mitch Herold carries a 1-0 record with a 0.87 ERA and six strikeouts in five relief outings for the Salem Red Sox (Boston Red Sox).

UCF in Professional Baseball in 2010

Hitters

– Tyson Auer – (Class A+, LA Angeles) – 18 GP, .293 BA, 16 R, 3 3B, 1 HR, 9 SB

– Drew Butera – (MLB) – 2 GP, 1-for-6 as the backup catcher to Joe Mauer

– Robert Lara – (Class A+, San Diego) – 6 GP, .263 BA, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 R, 3 RBI

– Clay Timpner – (Double-A, San Francisco) – 13 GP, .440 BA, 1.065 OPS, 6 BB, 2 K

Pitchers

– Tim Bascom – (Double-A, Baltimore) – 3 GP, 3 GS, 2-0, 1.00 ERA, 18.0 IP, 14 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 10 K

– Matt Fox – (Triple-A, Minnesota) – 8 GP, 0 GS, 1-0, 2.13 ERA, 12.2 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 9 K

– Mitch Herold – (Class A+, Boston) – 5 GP, 0 GS, 1-0, 0.87 ERA, 10.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

– Mike Maroth – (Triple-A, Minnesota) – 3 GP, 3 GS, 0-2, 1.64 ERA, 11.0 IP, 12 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 11 K

Making his way onto the 25-man roster as a backup catcher to Joe Mauer is former UCF infielder and backstop Drew Butera, while both Mike Maroth and Matt Fox will earn time on the mound with the team’s Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.

Drew Butera

Butera, whose father Sal is a former Twins catcher, played high school baseball for Dave Wheeler at Bishop Moore High School before signing on with the Knights and going on to climb the minor league ranks since finishing up in 2005.

He worked his way up with the New York Mets before joining the Twins in 2007 after earning a spot in the Florida State League All-Star Game. Two seasons of Double-A ball followed until he spent all of 2009 with the Red Wings.

Maroth is a 1995 graduate of Boone High School and member of the 2006 Detroit Tigers World Series team. That season he started off with a 5-2 record before being nagged by injuries. The six-year veteran pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007 and the Triple-A Omaha Royals (Kansas City affiliate) in 2008 while attempting to remain healthy.

He went 3-0 with a 2.60 ERA in Puerto Rico to earn an invite to Spring Training, where he was 2-0 with two saves and a 3.48 ERA in seven appearances last month.

Fox has also battled the injury bug and is undergoing his first stint at the Triple-A level. Last year he went 9-9 with a 3.58 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 151 innings for Double-A New Britain Rock Cats.

– More UCF Knights working towards The Show –

Tyson Auer is with the Class A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels); Robert Lara is with the Class A Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres); Clay Timpner is with the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants); and Mitch Herold is with the Class A Salem Red Sox.

Throughout the summer UCF Athletics will provide updates on alumni competing in the pros.

On Tuesday at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, the Knights avenged a 19-2 defeat at the hands of mighty Miami by shocking the No. 12 Hurricanes, 6-3. It marks the first win for UCF (14-8) in the series since 1995 and gives the Knights a win over a team ranked No. 17 or better for the fourth-straight season.

When the teams met in Orlando earlier this month the Knights committed six errors as freshman Brian Adkins was tagged with the loss while his former high school teammate Steven Ewing came away with the win for UM.

“It shows that what happened a couple weeks ago in Orlando when we lost, that that wasn’t this baseball team,” said UCF Coach Terry Rooney. “This baseball team has an opportunity to be outstanding. We’re just continuing to play with confidence, and it was an unbelievable team effort.”

Rooney used five pitchers and made a number of changes in the field to help secure the fifth-straight win for the Knights, who went without an error in the rematch.

Shane Brown, Chris Taladay, and Chris Duffy each finished with two hits as Duffy extended his hitting streak to 13 games and Ryan Breen extended his to eight games.

Adkins was the fourth pitcher out of the bullpen on Tuesday. He allowed three hits, an earned run and struck out four over two innings. Ewing took the loss this time around after lasting 1.2 innings in relief. He was credited with three earned runs, two walks and three hits in the setback.

UCF trailed 2-1 after Miami took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. They then relied on a handful of players to help regain an advantage in the top of the fifth and help put the game away with two more runs in the eighth.

–– UCF at Miami Highlights ––

– Freshman Darnell Sweeney hit a shot to center field to drive in freshman Austin Johnston in the first inning.

– Starting pitcher Johnny Sedlock limited UM to two hits and struck out three through three scoreless innings.

– In the fifth inning Duffy tied the game at 2-2 as he recorded his 40th RBI on the season with an infield single. The Knights took the lead for good when Beau Taylor grounded into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded that same inning.

– With two runners in scoring position in the sixth, Adkins faced full counts against back-to-back batters before retiring them both on outside breaking balls.

– With a slim 4-3 lead to start the eighth inning, Alex Friedrich sent the first pitch in his direction deep the other way for a home run before Brown followed that up with a homer of his own to right-center field.

– Chase Bradford followed those offensive efforts up on the mound by pitching two scoreless innings over the eighth and ninth innings for the Knights.

Postgame interviews with Rooney, Brown and Adkins can be heard at UCF Sports.

The Knights started the season 7-1 before going on a six-game skid earlier this month. The win over Miami gives UCF its seventh win over their past eight games.

They open the Conference USA schedule this weekend at Houston before returning to town on Tuesday, March 30 against Bethune Cookman at 6:30 p.m.

Nearly a year after capping off successful prep careers together, the college freshmen watched each other pitch from opposite dugouts at Jay Bergman Field in front of a standing-room only crowd. They didn’t talk much leading into the showdown and there certainly wasn’t much to speak about afterwards.

On Tuesday night Ewing and Miami swept though town, leaving behind the remnants of a convincing 19-2 win over Adkins and the UCF Knights. It was the first meeting in East Orlando between the two programs since 1990.

Family and friends – as well as former classmates and coaches – all had a hand in producing a major turnout by UCF standards. Despite being played over spring break, the matchup drew 2,546 spectators, which now stands as the second-largest home crowd in program history.

Last season there were 2,758 on hand to watch UCF take on Florida.

Steven Ewing (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

For Ewing and the No. 13 Hurricanes it felt like just another home game as they routinely compete in front of several thousand each outing.

Apparently the crowds have hardly bothered Ewing during his first season under the spotlight. He’s just been concentrating on making the most of his opportunity on the mound.

In only his second collegiate start he earned his second victory on the season as he held the Knights to three hits and two earned runs over six innings in the win.

“I’m grateful that coaches have the trust in me to come out here and throw every week,” said Ewing. “I’m thankful that they gave me the spot. I worked hard for it over the fall and feel like I earned it.”

Miami Coach Jim Morris was impressed with the way Ewing got ahead of hitters throughout the night and showed such good composure for a youngster.

“I thought he did an outstanding job,” said Morris. “It was great for him to be back home and to pitch well.”

Ewing, who was drafted in the 37th round by the Cleveland Indians in the 2009 MLB Draft, knows several of the players on UCF’s roster and said afterwards that it was “nice to see them and throw against most of them.”

Ewing made his first career start March 2 at USF, where he earned the decision after allowing six hits and two runs over 6.1 innings.

“So far he’s just been outstanding,” said Morris. “We have high expectations for him and high hopes.”

The season hasn’t started out as bright for Adkins, or even the Knights for that matter. Despite settling down after Miami hitters made good contact on his pitches in the first inning, the Knights would commit five errors in the field to put UCF in an 8-1 deficit after four innings.

“I thought that Brian Adkins pitched pretty well, to be honest with you,” said UCF Coach Terry Rooney afterwards.

Brian Adkins (Photo by J.C. Carnahan)

Adkins would be credited with two earned runs and seven hits over 3.2 innings of work. He allowed three earned runs over four innings at No. 5 Florida and gave up five runs in less than an inning a week earlier against Duquesne.

The chaos mirrors the current slide the team finds itself in. The Knights are currently in the mist of a five-game losing streak after starting the season 7-1.

“We’re going to be alright, we’re going to get on track,” said Adkins. “It’s really no different from high school – it’s baseball”

And for the most part college baseball has been a good experience for Adkins.

“The guys on the team are great,” he said. “It’s just a matter of us coming together as a team and gelling. It’s only a matter of time.”

Wins and losses aside, there was one individual in attendance on Tuesday that took great pride in seeing both lefties on the mounds.

“To see each of them get to live the dream they always had of playing college baseball – regardless of the scoreboard – is a thrill,” said former University head coach and current Cypress Creek assistant Rodney Beatty.

“It’s an awesome feeling watching them and remembering them when they were freshman and as they got older into juniors and seniors.”

And the book on them both is just beginning to be outlined.

While Miami and UCF are scheduled to meet again in south Florida on March 23 – with future meetings already being planned for seasons to come – Adkins and Ewing will continue to focus on the goals of their respective teams.

After all, there are conference schedules and postseason tournaments to look forward to while living out that dream their former high school coach speaks of. Bragging rights can wait for another day.

Beau Taylor

It’s of little surprise then that Taylor would pick up where he left off a season ago in leading the Knights to three season-opening wins past visiting Savannah State over the weekend.

While batting in the four-spot in UCF’s lineup he went 8-for-12 (.667) with two home runs, five runs scored and five RBI in the sweep. He then was named C-USA Baseball Hitter of the Week for the first time in his young collegiate career.

Taylor totaled 14 bases in all while also throwing out two base runners. In turn, UCF won 7-2 on opening day then won 14-4 and 8-6 to conclude the weekend. Also coming up big at the plate in the wins were Chris Duffy (.600), Austin Johnston (.556) and Jonathan Griffin (.500).

The Knights play at No. 5 Florida (3-0) on Wednesday (Feb. 24) at 6:30 p.m. before returning home this weekend (Feb. 26-28) for a three-game series with Siena. The Gators lead the all-time series 19-12.

UCF will then play its first 10 games of March at Jay Bergman Field against Duquesne (Mar. 2), North Florida (Mar. 3), Central Michigan (Mar. 5-7), Miami (Mar. 9), Hartford (Mar. 12-14) and USF (Mar. 16).

– Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com –